Tropical rainforests are forests of tall trees in a region of year long warmth. Rainforests belong to the wet climate group. An average of 125cm to 660 cm of rain falls each year. There is usually a season of less rain; especially in the monsoonal areas where this season is realyt dry. The temperature rarely drops below 20°C and almost never gets higher than 34°C. Tropical rainforests, now cover less than 6% of the Earth. But almost all tropical rainforests are near the equator. Scientists estimate that more than half of all the world’s plant and animal species live in rain forests. In addition, the tropics produce 40% of the worl^d's oxigyne...
Plant life in rainforests... More than two thirds of the world's plant species live in the tropical rainforests. The warm humid climate allows rare plants to grow, that can not live in temperate forests. Some, like the orchids have beautiful flowers that attract most forest insects. The "aerial" plants often use air using air roots. The humidity of the rainforest enables such adaptations which would be impossible in most temperate forests because of much drier conditions.
Orchids...
Animals of the Rainforest...
Tropical forests have a wide veriety of animals... Anything from reptiles to mammals. The animal types and numbers change according to the location of the forest. For example in South America, the main animals are jaguars, ocelots, spider monkeys, bats, iguanas, anacondas, sloths and toucan birds... There are also alot of insects including the rare "morpho butterfly"... The rivers, lakes and oceans around rainforests also have differant types of fish like piranhas and electric eels. Some animals can also be dangerous such as the poison arrow frog wich can kill a person in 30 seconds...
Some animals have very differant talents and abilities. For example the "basilisk" from the South American Rainforests ca WALK on water!!! Or, the Australian Skink lizard that has a BLUE tongue. Some animals are poisonous, but don't show it; like the monarch butterfly, that gets its poison from eating milkweed plants...
What are the threats? Ofcourse the biggest threat to tropical rainforest plant life is fast growing population. The human population grows fastest in the tropics. This forces people to cut down trees to make new homes. Logging is a wide spread threat in the tropics. Some trees in rainforests are prized lumbers. They are exported to other countries... Pollution is also a big factor. Industries sometimes dump their wastes into rivers and seas, and this affects the planys in rainforests wich gain their water supply from these places...
Logging, Costa Rica
Rivers in the Amazon Rainforest
Poaching is the biggest threat to animals of the tropics. People often skin them to make clothing, or sell their body parts. Because most of these animals are rare their body parts could make millions. Zuhal Yorgancıoğlu January 27th, 2011
Tropical Rain Forest
Plant life in rainforests...
More than two thirds of the world's plant species live in the tropical rainforests. The warm humid climate allows rare plants to grow, that can not live in temperate forests. Some, like the orchids have beautiful flowers that attract most forest insects. The "aerial" plants often use air using air roots. The h
Animals of the Rainforest...
Tropical forests have a wide veriety of animals... Anything from reptiles to mammals. The animal types and numbers change according to the location of the forest. For example in South America, the main animals are jaguars, ocelots, spider monkeys, bats, iguanas, anacondas, sloths and toucan birds... There are also alot of insects including the rare "morpho butterfly"... The rivers, lakes and oceans around rainforests also have differant types of fish like piranhas and electric eels. Some animals can also be dangerous such as the poison arrow frog wich can kill a person in 30 seconds...
Some animals have very differant talents and abilities. For example the "basilisk" from the South American Rainforests ca WALK on water!!! Or, the Australian Skink lizard that has a BLUE tongue. Some animals are poisonous, but don't show it; like the monarch butterfly, that gets its poison from eating milkweed plants...
What are the threats?
Ofcourse the biggest threat to tropical rainforest plant life is fast growing population. The human population grows fastest in the tropics. This forces people to cut down trees to make new homes. Logging is a wide spread threat in the tropics. Some trees in rainforests are prized lumbers. They are exported to other countries... Pollution is also a big factor. Industries sometimes dump their wastes into rivers and seas, and this affects the planys in rainforests wich gain their water supply from these places...
Poaching is the biggest threat to animals of the tropics. People often skin them to make clothing, or sell their body parts. Because most of these animals are rare their body parts could make millions.
Zuhal Yorgancıoğlu
January 27th, 2011